The morphological characteristics and geological implications of prime segments and axial volcanoes along the East Pacific Rise

TL;DRAbstract

The global mid-ocean ridge system is physically partitioned at a number of scales; at times this geomorphic segmentation correlates to geophysically, geochemically, hydrothermally, or otherwise-defined portions of the ridge. As the dominant processes acting along the divergent plate-boundaries are tectonism and magmatism, we are interested in any geomorphic indicators to these processes. Using compiled, high-resolution bathymetric data from 19 cruises between 16$\\sp\\circ$N and 23$\\sp\\circ$S along 4000 kilometers of the fast-spreading (80-160 mm/yr) East Pacific Rise (EPR), we compile an inventory of morphological characteristics for almost 200 ridge-axis discontinuities, and for 3 scales of ridge segments. This analysis has located and characterized 72 Prime Segments, 189 Axial Volcanoes and 145 Eruptive Centers along the fast-spreading plate-boundary of the East Pacific Rise. Prime Segments are axial volcanic complexes that range in length from 7-285km with an average of 67km, are

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